A Sigh in the Breeze
by Chibi Koneko
Summary: CCSxFB When Sakura's father died, she went to live with her grandfather. She still needed to attend school in the city, though, and was taken in by the Sohmas. Not even Akito has realized how important she will be to their future. SxS
1. Calm Before the Storm

This is a complete revision. It may seem similar in the beginning, but I realized that my last version had too much of a _deus ex machina _feel, so this new version came about.

Disclaimer: I own neither _Card Captor Sakura _nor _Fruits Basket_.

ARRG! There be **spoilers** ahead!

Okay, so, this completely melds together CCS the manga (with Meiling added) and Furuba the anime. I prefer the manga, but the plot is only canon through what the anime covers, except for the fact that Akito is female. Syaoran and Meiling left for Hong Kong after the stuff with Eriol and never came back. Sakura takes the place of Tohru, acts very similarly, and has the same time line after the cards are captured.

* * *

_A Sigh in the Breeze  
_Chapter 1: Calm Before the Storm

Kinomoto Sakura groaned and stretched in a most unladylike manner as her bubblegum pink alarm clock blared its honking wake-up call and murmured, "Hit the snooze for me, Kero-chan." Then, as though hit over the head with the Sword, she remembered where she was. Not at home with her doting and now magical father, Fujitaka, and her overprotective brother, Touya. She was not in her own room painted the same color as her alarm clock with an annoying stuffed animal to wake her up and a neighborhood where Yukito-san would be there to save her from his boyfriend. She did not attend a school with her best friend, Tomoyo, and the love of her life, Syaoran. She was not in Tomoeda with Eriol to guide her and with Meiling to keep her fighting abilities in shape. She was not even at her grandfather's home in the country.

Sakura lived with the Sohma family, which was more of a private club than a family – a club where membership is mandatory and the president's power absolute. A club with many members who did not care whether she lived or died.

'Well,' she reflected, 'maybe that's not true. Hiro-san and Akito-san are the only ones that really don't care, but Hiro wouldn't want me hurt because of Kisa-chan. Still, they would all be better off if I wasn't here to drag them down in life.' Sighing softly, Sakura pulled herself out of bed to prepare breakfast for the three ever-hungry men in the house.

Unknown to Sakura, a few days earlier, miles across the sea, the Elders of the Li Clan watched as Li Xiao Lang flawlessly completed the final test of his long trial and journey to becoming the leader of his clan. As he accepted the prestigious role, weighted down by his rich green and gold ceremonial robes, the young wolf thought only of returning to Japan to claim his prize – his bride.

In the present time, not far from Sakura's foreign bedroom, Sohma Akito, the head of the Sohma family, glanced down at the letter she had just received from the Li Clan in China. The letter itself was rigid, speaking in formula. The message contained within, however, said that the Elders had accepted Li Xiao Lang as their new leader.

The letter also requested that she meet with the new leader and the Elders of the clan soon. 'So **now** they want to talk. Well, if they want to see me so badly, they can come here themselves!' Fighting down a cough, Akito went about formulating her reply, which would be sent by phone, to the request. She then sent for her personal doctor; it seemed that she was getting sick again. 'Soon,' she thought grimly. 'Soon I won't have to deal with this curse any longer, and my family will be free. I only worry that if the curse is lifted, I will lose the hold I have on those pathetic Juunishi.' She shrugged. 'It makes no difference. I **will** be free.'

* * *

Yuki stumbled wordlessly into the kitchen with his head bowed, following the scent of the latest result of Sakura's culinary skills: chocolate-chip pancakes. 'He must still be asleep,' Sakura mused. She breathed in the scent of the cooking pancakes and with a sharp pang realized she wanted her brother to waltz into the room and say, "Oi, kaijuu, smells like you're burning whatever it is! Not that it would have been edible anyways." Then she would slam down hard on his toes with her tiny slippered feet, and everything would be okay between them.

Shigure walked in, looking like a puppy trying to coerce something out of a sympathetic old lady. "Good morning, everyone!" he chirped happily. Kyo turned his glare to him. "And what a wonderful morning it is!"

Sakura pasted a smile on her face, pushing Touya and his overwhelming "brotherliness" (as she called it) out of her mind. "Good morning, Shigure-san," she beamed up at him. "Do you mind pancakes this morning? I know it's not really traditional, but–"

"Whatever you're cooking is fine with him," Kyo growled, throwing a threatening look to Shigure. "Isn't that right?"

Shigure's eyes grew large with faux innocence. "Ah, Kyo-kun, you have so little faith in me. Why would you ever think I would doubt our dear Sakura-chan's cooking?"

"Just don't say anything stupid to her!" Kyo shouted. He opened his mouth to begin a new round of his tirade but was cut off by being thrown across the room courtesy of an uppercut.

"Shut up," Yuki growled.

Shigure laughed at their antics and looked at the mail. "Bill, coupons, bill, advertisement, political campaign junk, bill, letter from the main house, letter for Sakura-chan, bill--" he stopped suddenly. Sakura never received mail, not even from her grandfather in the country.

"Where's it from?" Yuki asked, trying to keep his calm exterior. Someone would have to know where Sakura was staying to send her mail to Shigure's house, and that list was very short.

"Uh... It's from Hong Kong." The three Sohmas glanced at each other. "It has some kind of a seal on it."

Before Shigure could scrutinize the wax seal too closely, however, Sakura spoke up. "I'll take it," she said, her voice thick, as though she was trying to talk through maple syrup. "It's mine."

"Do you even know who it's from?" Kyo snapped. Instead of looking stricken at his harsh tone like she usually did, Sakura bobbed her head a few times while staring at the letter. "Well, who's it from?" Sakura did not answer him, and Shigure handed her the expensive-looking cream envelope. She immediately left the room to read the first mail she had ever received while staying with the Sohma family.

* * *

Even Kyo noticed amongst his bickering with Yuki that Sakura was more spacey than usual at school. It was not until gym, however, that Kyo, Yuki, Uotani, and Hanajima began to realize that Sakura was not herself.

After everyone changed into their gym uniforms – with nearly the entire female population and some of the male, too, admiring Yuki's legs – the coach called everyone forward to a balance beam. "Now, I don't expect anyone except the cheerleaders and dancers and such to be any good at this – well, and Yuki too – but the government requires that all of you know how to walk across one of these things properly. Anyone ever used one of these before?"

As the coach said, cheerleaders and dancers, as well as a few twirlers, raised their hands. Sakura, however, also stuck an unwavering hand into the air.

"Sakura," Uotani hissed, "are you sure? I mean, even if you did this once in elementary school or something, you're more out of it than usual today. I mean, I love how you get loopy and all, but you could get hurt!"

Sakura smiled at her Uo-chan but wanted to wince at the thought of Tomoyo, who would be cheering her on while pulling a special outfit for the occasion out of her bag and turning on her camera to capture everything about the event.

Since it was a rare occasion for Sakura to volunteer anything in gym class, the coach picked her to go first. "Alright now, you can hold your arms out to balance yourself if you need to. Don't worry; it's not that far off the ground, and we've got gymnast mats covering the floor. Breathe in and out very evenly and try not to panic if you get stuck."

'Who's worrying?' Sakura mused as the coach shot off the speech before she covered half the distance to the beam. Breathing evenly like she remembered from so long ago, she walked across the narrow balance beam as though she was strolling down the street. Sakura had tried to keep in shape as much as possible over the years and never lost any of her tumbling abilities. As Sakura reached the end of her little road, the next girl, a cheerleader, moved to get on and show the Yuki-sama stealer the real meaning of grace. Before she could, however, Sakura zipped around and performed a flawless roundoff backhand spring, landing on the mats below and nearly hitting the frozen cheerleader.

Sakura's four friends glanced at each other and agreed: Time to talk with our girl, because something is not right.

* * *

"Are you going to work tonight, Kinomoto-san?" Yuki asked politely while Kyo fumed in the background.

"Aah, no, Yuki-kun. I have an important meeting tonight." Sakura tried to keep her explanation as short as possible, but Kyo would have none of it.

"Damn it! Where are you going and who are you meeting with? One of us should accompany you! Hell, five of us should accompany you! This has something to do with that damned letter, doesn't it?" Kyo growled at himself and quickly looked away from Sakura's face. "I mean, it's not safe for a girl to be wandering around alone to who-knows-where."

"Although I do not agree with Kyo's harsh manner, I do believe that you should have an escort," Yuki smoothed over.

"I'm sorry, everyone, but I really do need to go alone. I'll have someone drop me off at Shigure-san's house afterwards, okay?" Before they could answer, Sakura turned to walk down a different street, her long brown hair whispering against the middle of her back.

"Well," Kyo snorted, "that went well. Follow her?"

"Yeah."

* * *

Yuki remembered when he had first met Sakura during junior high. She and her father had moved into a smaller house in his school district so they could support someone in college. Was it for a family member? Saving for Sakura later on? Her father himself? Yuki could not remember. He **could** remember her nervous emerald eyes as she walked into class D for the first time. Her hair was cut rather short at the time; it was cute. It had made her appear younger than her true age.

The clearest memory he had of Kinomoto Sakura before she came to live at the Sohma house was on the day her father had died. The principal had walked into the room and asked if he could talk to her. The teacher consented -- not that he had much of a choice -- and they walked just outside the door. He could still see the shocked and horrified look on her angelic face before she ran down the hall. Her two friends, Hanajima and Uotani, went running after her. He did not think much of it at the time. He could recall thinking, 'Maybe someone in her family got hurt...' It had been so impersonal when he recalled the memory. She was just a presence barely at the edge of his perception; she meant nothing. Yuki still had trouble believing how callous he was at the time, during the years before he truly experienced Sakura's presence.

She was out of school for nearly a week, and he did not bother wondering where she was.

Yuki did not like admitting this, even to himself. He could not imagine trying to tell this to the baka neko or Shigure. He did not even want to think about mentioning his former lack of caring to Sakura herself. She had become a constant in his life. He now knew what had caused her to look for weeks like a zombie without any brains to munch. He now knew why Hanajima had mentioned "taking the couch and letting Sakura take the bed" everyday until the end of that school year.

Yuki still beat himself over the head (mentally) for being such an idiot. Had she known that he did not care? Had she known that no one other than her two friends had bothered remembering her first name until she gained the attention of his own fan club? Had she known that no one had cared enough to even wonder for more than a few meager seconds what had made her so upset? Had she known that no one other than her two friends (who were absent themselves) would have noticed she was gone for that almost-week if the sensei would not have called roll every morning?

Probably. She was a lot more perceptive than anyone gave her credit for.

In an attempt to make up his previous failures concerning Sakura, Yuki decided that he would always protect her, even if she became angry with him in the process – not that Sakura ever got angry. Even if it meant being around the Cat, even if Sakura did not choose him in the end, Yuki was still willing to give anything to keep her safe. Anything.

* * *

Sakura meandered through town, idly gazing through shop windows. She still had a large bit of time to waste before meeting Syaoran and Meiling at their hotel. A large part of Sakura wished that they were getting an apartment in town – one big enough to fit her as well. The part of her that loved the Sohma family, however, protested loudly, like a hungry half-grown cat. Still another minuscule portion of her heart wished desperately that Syaoran would sweep her off her feet and bring her to Hong Kong immediately. Torn at the possible futures, Sakura decided to wait until finding out Syaoran's plans before rushing into a new life.

A tingle of magic at the back of her neck warned Sakura that two Juunishi were following her. She smiled in anticipation. 'Let's see if you can outmaneuver the Mistress of the Cards, shall we?' Sakura berated herself for being so mischievous, but feeling Syaoran's presence nearby made her a little playful. Drawing confidence from that green aura, she began a chase that she knew would end with the cat and mouse lost and the cheese safely away.

* * *

Syaoran fidgeted in his chair. That is, Syaoran blinked very rapidly, and his thumbs twitched every few minutes. Meiling sighed and said, "Stop that; you're making me nervous!"

Syaoran snorted, "**You're **nervous?" His voice shook a bit towards the end, punctuating his point.

"Yes, and I shouldn't be! Just relax. Sakura-chan's just as anxious to see you as you are to see her; I know she is. **You** know she is. So just calm down so her first impression of you after so many years isn't the image of a complete wreck. Lovesick puppy, that I can handle. A boy about to fall apart at the seams is where I draw the line."

A knock at the door interrupted Meiling's preaching, and Syaoran bolted to the door only to slowly grasp the handle with sweaty hands and turn it gently. He had not seen Sakura in six years, and the green-eyed vision behind the door was worth the wait.

* * *

Okay, so, I promised this to you AGES ago. I promise that I'm not dead, just busy with college-y stuffs. Let me know what you think about it! It's about a thousand words longer than the original chapter one, so yays! No promises on anything else, just that I _am_ working on things.


	2. Whispering Wind

Akito is a "he" while talking to the Juunishi because that's how they perceive her. Canon to anime Furuba; I've put Kureno and Rin into this, but Sakura has not met them. They aren't very important here.

There are a few excerpts from the older version of this fic; descriptions and thoughts that I felt fit into the revision. Most (almost all) of this, however, is new.

Disclaimer: Uhm, yeah, not mine. I found Sakura's line of "medieval poetry" in David Eddings' _The Sapphire Rose_ (Book 3 of the Elenium) and thought it was appropriate.

* * *

_A Sigh in the Breeze  
_Chapter 2: Whispering Wind

Two very grumpy Juunishi returned to Shigure's house as the sun was setting. Surprisingly, neither Kyo nor Yuki were fight-damaged. Haru had gone Black when they lost Sakura, but Yuki managed to calm him down by telling him how disappointed Sakura would be if she saw him turn Black because of her. Momiji had sensed how taut Kyo was and knew not to tease. A solemn Shigure met the two boys as they walked up to the house.

"We've been summoned."

* * *

"If you ruin this chance, you stupid cat, I'll kill you myself!" Akito shrieked, nearly frothing at the mouth. "And you know that if anything goes wrong, it will be all your fault," he sneered, recovering himself at the last minute. "A former member of the Li Clan, Clow Reed, placed the curse on our family, and his heir is the only one who can remove this damned spell. Li Xiao Lang is a direct descendant of Clow with very strongest magic the Clan has seen in a long time, so he should be able to handle it. If the thought didn't disgust me so much, I might consider trying to arrange some marriages with members of the Li Clan, but don't think I've discarded the idea completely." At this, Kisa looked like she was going to begin crying, but soft glances from Hiro and Hatsuharu dried her eyes. Rin, on the other hand, had murder in her gaze.

Akito glanced back out the window. "Xiao Lang and the Elders will be meeting with us tomorrow. They also brought Li Meiling, a martial arts expert and Xiao Lang's former fiancée. She's there to help protect the Elders, so behave yourselves. The Elders will stay in the compound with us, but the accommodations for Xiao Lang and Meiling are unknown. They may also be staying here, so I want this place cleaned from top to bottom. Shigure, clean your house just in case, although I don't want our guests of honor staying there with the cat and that filthy girl." Now everyone but Kureno, Shigure, and Hatori looked murderous.

* * *

Sakura launched herself at Syaoran, who caught her easily. Syaoran had always been larger than Sakura, but the difference had multiplied. His arms could have wrapped around her twice (probably), and his hand looked like one of a giant splayed against her back. Her breasts (no, bad thoughts!) pressed against his chest, and her hips felt sharp against his midsection. Holding her off the ground, he couldn't tell how tall, or short, she was next to him, but that difference had grown as well. Longer honey hair brushed against and tangled with the hand he pressed onto her back. His arms were full of warm, soft girl – woman – and he wondered, not for the first time, how he had survived the years without her, including before they had ever met. He wanted to kiss her, but Meiling's presence stalled him. 'That's probably why they sent her,' he groused. Like they really needed a chaperon.

Well, considering the thoughts he and certain parts of his anatomy were having, they probably did. Still. It was the principle of the thing – they didn't trust him. Or her. Damn it.

Sakura felt warm, muscular warms envelop her. She was wrapped in warm, solid man, and just wished that said man would kiss her – cousin or no cousin.

Sakura knew that she was in love with her Xiao Lang, her little wolf. He kept her sane and functional. Uo-chan and Hana-chan alone would have never kept her together after her father had died if the thought of Syaoran waiting for her had not been there. He was everything to her. Her friends now, her old friends, and the Sohma family held parts of her, but she knew that she held all of Syaoran except for the miniscule part that went to the Clan and his family, and that meant his swordsmanship and magic were only high on his list so he could continue to protect everything he held dear. Sakura knew that she could never let go of life as long as he was there. If something happened to him -- well, best not think of that.

Reluctantly, Sakura pulled back from Syaoran and his delicious-smelling hair. "You have no idea how much I've missed you," she murmured, staring at him through glassy eyes. "I love thee, and now that I've found thee, I'll never let thee go."

Syaoran's serious wolf-like eyes held her own for a moment, and then he grinned. "Been reading medieval poetry again?" His dark baritone voice rumbled through her limbs and chest and rushed down through her toes. Well, that was new. She knew his post-pubescent voice was sexy from their rare phone conversations, but she never realized how such vibrations would feel. Sakura felt like melting into a puddle of sticky goo right there in his arms, just so she could feel him talk all the time.

"Shaddup," Sakura shot back at her boyfriend – fiancé? 'He's never officially asked me,' she mused with a hint of worry. Pushing down thoughts of inadequacy, she finally pulled Syaoran's face down to her own and kissed him. It was a chaste kiss (Meiling was still in the room), but one with promise. Syaoran blinked at her with a dazed look after she pulled away, and Meiling snickered at him. "I've been wanting to do that for years," Sakura said, also with a slightly goofy expression.

"Oh really?" he murmured. "Well then," he bent down to her ear and whispered, "wait until we're alone. I've waited too long for you, my Ying Fa."

Sakura pulled away from him with a slightly scandalized look on her face. "You know what saying my Chinese name like that does to me!" She squinted at him. "Are you trying to seduce me?"

"Absolutely," Syaoran answered, "but I'm willing to wait until after the wedding. Especially considering that I plan to elope if the Elders won't let us marry right after your graduation." Seeing Sakura's surprised face, he added, "You didn't think I was going to let you go, did you?"

At that, Sakura began to cry tears of joy, and her cards rejoiced with her, emitting waves of power into the city.

And all the Juunishi promptly turned into their animal forms.

* * *

"So, how long are the two of you staying in Tokyo?" Sakura asked the Li cousins. They had relocated to the sitting area of their very expensive hotel room; Meiling and Syaoran sat on the couch, and Sakura plopped onto Syaoran. "Your letter didn't say."

"Well," Syaoran answered, "there's this curse on a family here, and they want me to take it off since supposedly only Clow's heir can do so."

"Why?"

"Clow cast the curse himself. Anyway, the Elders and I know that you're really his heir, so they were going to officially ask you tomorrow and then meet with the family head, who is supposedly a complete bastard."

Sakura groaned. "Don't tell me – Sohma Akito." Syaoran and Meiling stared at her. "I'm staying with several members of the Sohma family outside the main house." She paused. "Three Juunishi, actually. The dog, the cat, and the rat. What a combination, huh?"

Meiling laughed. "Only you, Sakura. Only you."

Syaoran contemplated for a moment. "Well, after tonight, we're supposed to stay with the Sohma family. Why don't we request to stay with Juunishi outside the main house? Doesn't that narrow it down to your house?"

"Well," Sakura answered, "Ayame, the snake, also lives outside the compound, and Akito probably won't want you to stay with an outsider and the cat. Maybe if you requested to stay with the cat, since much of the curse is concentrated on him. Poor Kyo," she sighed.

"That's what we'll do then. Onward to a much more depressing subject, how's your brother?" Syaoran asked.

Sakura giggled at him. "He's doing fine. He and Yukito-kun are still at the university in Kyoto. Yukito-kun is finishing a Masters degree in history with a concentration on Japanese myths, and oniichan is working on a psychology doctorate. The guy deserves it for getting me through my preteen and teenage years. Speaking of painful for you, have you heard from Eriol recently? My grandfather keeps getting mail for me from Tomoyo, but I can only go pick it up so often." Sakura sweatdropped. "She keeps demanding my measurements and sending me clothes. I honestly think she has my wedding dress planned already, if not made." At the topic of marriage, she and Syaoran both turned pink.

"Well, I know that he stays in contact with the Elders," Meiling answered Sakura's question, "but I haven't gotten anything from him. Have you, Syaoran?"

"Not recently," Syaoran frowned, "and that usually means he's planning something that I'm not going to like. The bastard."

Enjoying listening to the cousins bicker over Eriol's level of evil, Sakura studied the rich cream walls and (expensive) fluffy carpets, only a few shades darker than the paint. "Nice hotel," she mused. "Are you sure the two of you want to stay at Shigure's? It's never quiet there, for one thing. And not nearly as nice as this."

Syaoran nuzzled her neck and whispered softly in Chinese, "I will be wherever you are. I'll stay here if you stay as well. Otherwise, the noisy, less nice Sohma house will have to do, Ying Fa."

A few hours later, Syaoran checked the fancy clock on the wall. "You should be getting back home; it's getting late. Our driver can take you."

"I don't want to be any trouble," Sakura protested. "I walk home from work all the time." Oops.

Syaoran gripped Sakura's chin and forced her to look up at him. "You walk home. At night. _Alone_?"

Sakura winced. "Yuki-kun sometimes walks me home. But yes, I walk home at night." Anticipating his next rant, she added, "And yes, I work. I know that you can support me, but I thought that might weaken our case in front of the Elders. I would rather work for a few years than lose you forever."

Syaoran sighed, and his eyes lightened a bit. "Well, even if you continue to work, I'm going to walk with you or bring you home from now on, understand?" Sakura nodded. "The driver can take you back tonight, and Meiling and I should be over tomorrow sometime. I'll contact you if we need the Card Mistress and let you know whether to come disguised or not. I've heard this Akito can get nasty." Sakura forced back a shudder. Most powerful sorceress or not, Akito frightened her. Perhaps the lack of anything resembling humanity had something to do with it.

He sometimes reminded her of the Void.

* * *

Yay, so Sakura and Syaoran are reunited! This chapter isn't as long as the first, but it has to be one of my favorite chapters ever. Coming up: The Sohma family meets the Card Mistress, the most powerful sorcerer in the world, daughter to Clow Reed.


	3. Rising Zephyr

Just as a note, I don't know what form of Chinese they speak in Hong Kong, so I'm just calling it "Chinese." You'll forgive me, I hope. When the narrator refers to Xiao Lang, I'm usually talking about the leader of the Li clan. Syaoran usually refers to the teenage boy instead of the leader, so I may call him both in the same paragraph.

And I noticed that earlier I had mentioned that Syaoran left after Eriol's bit, and then I mentioned the Void. Oops, continuity. Let's say that they handled the Void and then went home. Continuity problem solved. Also, the Sohmas know that there was a magical disturbance several years before, but they are not aware that the Cards claimed a new master. Or mistress. Whatever.

Sakura still doesn't think of Akito as female, but the Li kids do.

Disclaimer: Nope, not mine. I never finished reading FB (got too expensive), so I only know vaguely what happens in later volumes. So I made up the curse story. Go me.

* * *

_A Sigh in the Breeze  
_Chapter 3: Rising Zephyr

"Tadaima!" Sakura called while walking over Shigure's threshold. Despite the late hour, the ground floor of the house was blazing with light, and Sakura was glad that she had convinced Syaoran to let her out of his hired car down the driveway so that they wouldn't be noticed. It seemed like most of the Juunishi were gathered in Shigure's living room. Kyo, Yuki, Ayame, and Momiji all jumped to their feet when she entered.

Sakura put on her most vapid expression and giggled. She had become very good at giggling nervously over the years. "What's everyone doing? Oh, no, I wasn't supposed to make dinner, was I?"

Yuki calmed the fluttering Sakura. "No, Kinomoto-san. We were all called to the main house earlier this evening and were discussing Akito's news." He didn't mention the fact that they had also been debating over Sakura's disappearance. Luckily none of the walls were broken from his relatively brief spat with Kyo.

None of the walls in that particular room, anyway.

"Oh?" Sakura's eyes widened even more. "Is it bad news?"

Yuki looked at the others. The other main point of their arguments was how much information to give Sakura. She had proven herself able to keep a secret, but she might find certain parts of the story disturbing. Shigure, looking serious for once, gave Yuki a slight nod, so the rat Juunishi gently led Sakura by the elbow to a pillow on the floor. "Not exactly. Hatori would be the best person to tell you, but Akito wants to be as healthy as possible for tomorrow and is keeping him in the main house tonight. So Shigure, as much as I hate this, are going to tell you about it."

"About what?" Sakura bit her lip, trying to look as nervous as possible. If they told her the story from the Sohma point of view, she would be more prepared to handle the situation after the Elders told her their version. The two stories put together should give her a more accurate idea of what had really happened in the encounter between the Sohmas and Clow.

"The origins of our curse."

Shigure cleared his throat and began, his voice deep and soothing without his normal theatrics. "The Li clan and the Sohma family have always been rivals, the Lis in Hong Kong and us in Japan. Both families used magic, and eventually a man named Clow Reed was born to a Li woman. He one day became known as the most powerful sorcerer in the world. The Sohma head at the time was a woman and made noises about marrying Clow to end the feud. Clow Reed, however, was already married and refused to divorce his wife. Keiko, the head of the Sohma family, did not take rejection lightly; she made Akito look sane, according to legend. Anyway, with the advice of her council, she sent two men to threaten Clow's son – either marry Keiko or lose his heir. She probably would have gotten rid of the kid eventually but thought that the immediate threat would make Clow overlook this possibility. The two men were incredible in martial arts and the best of friends. The stronger of the two was on the council. Keiko had power, but because the family head did not have complete control, the council didn't always rule as she wanted. She was hoping to use Clow Reed as a way to consolidate her hold over the family. The two men, however, had their own agenda. They wanted Clow Reed to remove Keiko from power completely. Most of the family was loyal to her, but blaming a Li would be an easy way to get rid of her. As I said, she wasn't exactly sane.

"They still kidnapped Clow's son and held him for their ransom, but no one at the time knew exactly how powerful Clow really was. This was before he made those cards of his and earned his "Most Powerful" title. As punishment, he cast this curse on the Sohma family. The twelve council members became the Juunishi as we know them today. Anytime that a Juunishi is extremely exited, under much duress, very weak, or hugged by a member of the opposite sex, he or she turns into the assigned animal. Because homophobia was big back then but even men need comfort, especially as children, he also added that Juunishi could hug each other without repercussion. The two men who kidnapped his son, however, he gave special punishment. The stronger one, the council member, became the rat for his trickery. The one who held the knife to his infant son's throat became the cat, given the cursed form for forcing the child to bleed. The two friends became fierce rivals, each blaming the other for the mistake. The council blamed Keiko, and Keiko blamed them in return. Even though it was the rat's idea to betray her, the rat was her brother, and so she blamed the cat entirely. He has been ostracized ever since, especially since the first cat remained in his curse form until he died.

"Clow Reed added that since Keiko wanted complete power over the family and especially the council so much, she could have it. In exchange, the curse would draw on her life force, making her sickly. She died not ten years later at thirty-six. Everyone was horrified to discover that her successor also suffered from the curse. When the new cat was eventually born, Clow appeared at the Sohma house and gave us the bracelet that Kyo now wears to keep the cursed form at bay. He also gave the dragon the ability to keep the secret of the curse safe from outsiders and even other members of the Sohma family. Because he was so angry and used so much power when he cast the spell, he could not safely remove it. Only someone of his line more powerful than him could do so, and he claimed that this person would one day rely on the hospitality of the Sohma family. Those affected by the curse would be judged by how they treated this sorcerer and would be cured if deemed worthy. Many people thought it would be the daughter that he claimed would inherit his Cards, but no daughter was ever born.

"Xiao Lang, a descendant of Clow Reed though that infant child, is the first in the line to show any serious amount of power. He recently became leader of the clan, and he has come with the Li Elders to judge the Sohma family. The Elders will be staying at the Sohma main house, but we don't know where Xiao Lang will be. There's a possibility he'll be here, since this is the largest gathering of Juunishi outside the main house, not to mention the home of the cat. In one week, Xiao Lang will deliver his judgment."

They all remained silent for a moment, and then Sakura asked in a small voice, "Is this your only chance to remove the curse?"

Ayame answered, "Clow never mentioned anyone else in the future having such power, so we're assuming so."

"And he could see into the future?"

"Everything he predicted has come true so far except for the whole daughter thing." Ayame then gave his bright grin and grasped onto Yuki. "Maybe I could make some clothes for young Xiao Lang! His female cousin is supposed to be with him, too; maybe she would be willing to model a bit!" Shigure looked eager at the thought as well until Kyo hit them both across the back of the head.

Sakura decided it was a good time to gush. "Oh, Shigure-san, you should have been a storyteller! Your voice was just amazing!"

* * *

Akito arrived the next day, looking disgruntled and angry as usual, with all of the Juunishi in tow. Another car carried Li Xiao Lang and Li Meiling. Shigure and Yuki met them outside; Kyo and Sakura had been told to remain indoors and out of sight. That is, until Akito screamed for them to come out.

"This is the cat and the girl staying with Shigure," he spat out, introducing them to his visitors. There were two Juunishi, a man and a girl, that Sakura didn't recognize, and she assumed they were the rooster and the horse.

Shigure coughed. "The cat's name is Kyo, and the young lady is Kinomoto Sakura. She needed a place to stay while going to school in the city after her father died."

Xiao Lang and Meiling both bowed, and the young leader greeted Sakura in Chinese. "Ying Fa," he murmured. Sakura smiled and greeted him in the same manner. Their foreign conversation lasted for a minute before he introduced his cousin, who also spoke with Sakura for a moment.

Momiji could hold himself back no longer and cried, "I didn't know you knew Chinese, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura blushed. "Yes, I have some friends who live in Hong Kong. They taught me a few years ago." Most of the Juunishi immediately assumed that these were the same people who had written to her.

A red flush crept up Akito's neck, finally reaching his face. "Did I give you permission to speak, girl?"

"She was just being polite," a deep baritone rumbled from Xiao Lang's throat. "I am honored to be greeted by one with such a powerful aura."

"Yes," Meiling agreed, "have you ever had any formal training?"

Sakura blushed again; this was one subject that she had not brought up with Syaoran and Meiling the previous night. When they left, they had both recommended teachers who could help her with technique, but she and her father had moved to get money to help Touya with college. "No, the most I ever got was from my older brother. He lost his abilities to save his best friend, but he always remembered what it was like." And you two, Sakura added silently. Not to mention the on-the-job training and a certain stuffed animal named Kero-chan.

"Does anyone want to clue me in?" Akito hissed with acid in his voice.

Meiling shrugged, the light shimmering off of the gold lotus flowers embroidered into her blue Chinese dress and her midnight hair. "Kinomoto-san is a sensitive – to the supernatural, that is. Sometimes it manifests as sorcery, sometimes in other ways. Everyone is born with a certain amount of sensitivity and ability, but you can hone it within your own limits. In some cases it seems to be hereditary."

Sakura nodded, "My brother could see ghosts. He talked to Mother all the time. Dad didn't show any signs until a few years before he died. I'm not sure about Mother; no one ever mentioned her having any strange abilities, but it's not exactly something you mention in casual conversation."

Xiao Lang smirked and replied, "Present conversation excluded, of course. Let's get back to the subject at hand, though, before Akito-sama here has an aneurysm." Sakura blinked; did he just make a joke? Apparently he'd been around Akito long enough already. "Because of the nature of the curse, there are two people that need to be observed: the head and the cat. The relationship between the cat and the rat should also be monitored. The Elders will be staying at the main house with Akito-sama, so Meiling and I will stay here with the cat and the rat. Because of the nature of the judgment to be made, how you treat Kinomoto-san will also be taken into consideration – so she stays right where she is." He effectively had cut off Akito's next order, he knew. Maybe the woman would treat her judge better, but Syaoran doubted it somehow. Akito was nothing if not vindictive.

Looking into her eyes reminded him of the Void. Taking and taking until there was nothing left.

He really didn't want to think about Akito, but it kept him from thinking about Sakura, who was looking fabulous in her knee-length brown skirt and simple white T-shirt. Her honey hair was left completely down without the ribbons, and thinking about Akito was the only way he could keep himself from jumping his fiancée and kissing her senseless. He was almost staring at her already. That hair, smelling like her flower, tangling and twisting around his fingers as though alive... No! Think about how red Akito is turning!

* * *

Syaoran and Meiling visited Ayame's shop during the day while the teenagers were in school and quickly vowed never to come back. Meiling was amused by Ayame, but that would do her no good if Xiao Lang killed him. They ate lunch on the roof with the group for a few days, watching the interaction between Yuki and Kyo.

Supposedly.

Syaoran was really watching Sakura in her short skirt while pretending to watch Yuki and Kyo fight. "When am I going to meet with the Elders?" Sakura murmured to Syaoran in Chinese; he jumped from being lost in thought (wait, what thought?) while staring at her smooth peach legs. She should have met with them the day after they arrived, but Akito had been demanding their attention from the moment they landed and tended to get shrill if he didn't have his way. "I already have the Sohma side of the story, and it quite frankly sounds biased for Clow instead of the other way around." She groaned, "Why didn't Eriol mention this sooner?" She already knew the answer, though; he could not have told her that she would be staying with the Sohmas without mentioning her father's death. Eriol's other half, literally. Sakura's mind briefly wondered if Eriol reabsorbed those powers before Syaoran replied.

"Tomorrow evening. You pretend to be at work, and I'll claim a meeting with the Elders – both are true. Most powerful sorceress is an important job, you know."

Sakura winced as Yuki landed an uppercut to Kyo's jaw, ending the fight. Yuki had been making fun of Kyo again for attracting so many cats. Kyo took it personally, as usual, and proceeded to attempt to fight Yuki. "Does it pay well?"

Syaoran grinned, "You'll essentially be a queen soon. I'm going to shower you with gifts as soon as we make the official announcement, you know. Anyway, I'll tell them that I'm picking you up in my car after the meeting. I usually pick you up, so that won't be too surprising." Momiji was watching them talk, so Sakura soon rose and joined Meiling to avoid suspicion. Everyone should just assume that she was trying to make friends and convince Xiao Lang to remove the curse. She felt like a spy.

Syaoran looked over at Uotani. "How did you become friends with Kinomoto-san?" he asked politely.

Uotani Arisa smiled, and everyone else stopped what they were doing to listen to the story. Kyo and Yuki abandoned their fight; Hanajima, Meiling, and Sakura looked up from their conversation on auras; and Momiji and Hatsuharu put away their lunches. "Well," she began, "most of you know that I used to be in a gang, and once you're in, you stay in. One of the higher-ups in the gang knew Nadeshiko-sama – that's Sakura's mother. Apparently she and her husband were several years apart in age and married when she was sixteen."

Sakura added, "Dad was her teacher, and most of her family refused to talk to him until I was about twelve. They blamed him for her death, but I never found out why. No one likes to talk about it."

"Well, most people loved Nadeshiko-sama, and people with many admirers often end up with a few jealous enemies. My leader was one of them, and she told the other girls about how Sakura's parents got together. They started doing things like asking Sakura which of her teachers she was going to seduce and other rude shit. Sakura was really nice to me despite my reputation, and I guess their cruelty was the last straw. I still had no idea how I was going to survive, but I decided to get out. For some reason, I told Sakura.

"I don't know what they did, but Sakura's brother and his best friend went looking for me. I think they're dating now, actually." Sakura nodded in agreement, and Uotani continued. "Touya – Sakura's brother – is a jack of all trades. The man can do anything; he got all sorts of jobs to buy this motorcycle. We used to bet on what place he was going to work at next."

"He never really rode it," Sakura whispered. "He decided to keep riding his bicycle so that I could keep going to school in the morning with him and Yukito-kun."

"I didn't know that," Uotani admitted. "So he basically has a bigger fan club than Yuki here does, including the girls in my gang. The guy is really tall, dark hair, dreamy eyes – you know the type. He's seen as aloof by most people, but he's really a great guy. Still considered a little scary, though, and that was incredibly appealing to these girls. Tsukishiro Yukito is pretty much his opposite. He's very sweet, with light hair, light eyes, and glasses. Shorter than Touya. Sakura tells them what's going on, and they come get me. I fell unconscious when they found me and woke up being carried on Touya's back. The girls still mutter about a demon and an angel coming to get me and decided to never mess with the three of us, especially now that Hanajima has threatened a few people with her psych waves."

"Is your brother really like that?" Momiji asked, his eyes wide with curiosity.

Sakura giggled. "He calls me kaijuu," she smiled, "and I always kick him for saying it. I know girls in our class used to always ask me if he went for younger girls like Dad did. After he and Yukito got together, most of that stopped. They're both in Kyoto for graduate school right now." With that, the bell rang to signal the end of lunch.

* * *

Okay, so I lied. This chapter did not have Card Mistress/Sohma interaction, but it did have some fun stories.

If any of you ever want to read the old version (I don't know why, but some people are weird like that), just say so in a review. If anonymous, just leave your e-mail address so I can send it. I'm sorry for not replying to reviews like I said I would and hope to do better in the future.

So a lot of dialogue and storytelling in this chapter. Like it, hate it? Do tell.


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